When you’re 24 years old, it’s hard to know which direction to head. That is, unless you’re Arianne Liu.
This Burnaby Central alum knew she wanted to make a difference in her community. Liu and Johny Dyer are co-owners of DyerFitness, located in the Heights.
Her dream began when both were working at another fitness club. They wanted to “give a little more and decided to take a leap of faith,” she explains.
The result was the two coming up with the idea to open their own fitness centre.
But, as with most dreams, it was not an easy one to fulfil.
At the time, the two were believed to be too young to run a successful business. According to Liu, it took them almost a year-and-a-half before everything fell into place.
Finally, they found the right landlord, and DyerFitness was born.
Liu says DyerFitness is different from other athletic clubs because it is a hybrid gym. As Liu explains, they teach both Olympic lifting and regular fitness classes.
The gym has something for everyone, all the way from lighter, less intense workouts to Olympic lifting.
But the staff at DyerFitness tries to bring in an element of fun to working out as well.
According to Liu, the music inside the facility is good, and all patrons and staff are introduced to one another.
This social aspect makes everyone more comfortable.
Being a part of their fitness family is incredibly helpful, Liu says.
She points out that it’s hard to “push yourself to change if you don’t have support” – and that’s where DyerFitness comes in.
Furthering the desire to make a difference, the two co-owners believe in giving back to the community.
Liu wanted to settle DyerFitness in the Heights because she grew up in the community and loves the neighbourhood.
Not only that, it’s a reciprocal arrangement. Liu sees that to make a small business viable, it is imperative to have support from the local community.
In turn, Liu and Dyer make going out to help others a priority. Dyer launched a sponsorship program with student football athletes at Notre Dame Regional Secondary School.
As for Liu, she has her own sponsorship program dedicated to teenage girls. The initiative is for 10 students from Alpha Secondary School and Notre Dame and focuses on improving self-esteem.
Liu believes that so many girls are told how they are to look by the media, “we need more support for women.”
Seeing a need is one thing, but taking action is another. This is part of DyerFitness’s success.
DyerFitness is located at 3972 Hastings Street, Burnaby. For more information, call 778-227-3690 or check out their website at http://dyerfitness.ca.
